William fisher



QNo Model.)

W. FISHER. ELECTRIC GIGAR LIGHTER.

Patented May 12', 1896.

UNITED STATES ATENT trice,

OF SAME PLACE.

AELECTRIC CiGAR-LIGHTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part 0f Letters Patent NO. 559,939, dated May 12, 1896.

Application filed October 12, 1895. Serial No. 565,434l (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

le it known that I, WILLIAM FISHER, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Cigar-Lighters and Advertising Devices; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference bein ghad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a combined oigan lighter and advertising device, and relates more specifically to improvements in that class of electric cigar-lighters in which an alcohol-torch is lighted by means of an electric current.

The object of the invention is to provide a construction in devices of the character referred to whereby a transparency or the like will be displayed in one or more colors each time the light is used.

The invention has also in view the production of a simple practical construction having a plurality of torches, which maybe used independently of each other and at the same time.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, and will be readily understood, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

Figure l is a view in perspective of a cigarlighter embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 3.

Fic". 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3 3 c I l l I n of Fig. 2. Fig. i 1s a horizontal sectional view taken on line 4E 4 of Fig. 2.

As shown in said drawings, A designates as a whole the casing, comprising top and bot tom walls A A2, respectively, back wall A3, and front wall A, The top, bottom, and back walls maybe of any suitable or desired material, preferably of metal or other opaque substance, and the size and shape of the casing may also be varied as desired or in accordance with different circumstances. The casing herein shown, however, consists of a rectangular box, the rear wall A3 of which is constructed to slide into place between the side and end walls, so as to afford access to the interior of the boX. The front wallA4 of the vbok is constructed with a panel-opening a, which is closed by means of any desired transparency or translucency B-as, for instance, some advertising-picture printed in outlines-which will be displayed when the interior of the case is illuminated.

C C' designate incandescent lamps arranged within the casing A, preferably, and as shown, mounted upon the inner sides of the upper and lower ends thereof, by means of which lamp the interior of the box may be illuminated and thc transparency thus displayed, as hereinafter described. Preferably one or both of the lamps C C will be colored, so as to produce a varied effect upon the trans parency when lighted.

D D designate tubular cups or receptacles adapted to hold a suitable burning uid, usually alcohol, and conveniently located in the upper front part of the casing, with their upper ends protruding through the top wall A' thereof.

E E' designate lighting-torches adapted to normally rest within the cups D D and each comprising a shank e, preferably of metal, provided at its lower end with a suitable absorbing device adapted to retain sufficient of the burning iuid when lifted out of the cup to sust-aina name for some moments, the absorbing device herein shown consisting of a bunch or coil of fine wire e. The extreme end of the shank e is tipped with a carbon pencil e2. The upper end of the torch is provided with a suitable handle e3, which is enlarged annularly at its juncture with the shank to form a cap e4, which serves as a closure for the upper end of the cup D or D when the torch is not in use. The outer periphery of said cap et extends outward over the margin of the cup a slight distance for a purpose hereinafter described.

Next describing the electrical circuits and contact devices by means of which the lamps are thrown into circuit when a torch is used, E E designate two contact-levers pivotally mounted between their ends in suitable insulated bearings or supports ff, secured upon the inner surface of the top wall A of the IOO casing, preferably so as to extend in alinement with each other. The remote and shorter end of each of said levers is arranged to eX- tend outwardly adjacent to one of the cups D or D' and is provided at said end with an u pturned portion f', which extends upwardly alongside of the cup in position for its upper end to be engaged by the overhanging portion of the cap e'l of the torch, so as to be held depressed by said torch when the latter is in position within its cup. The opposite inwardly-extending ends of the said levers F F are arranged to fall into contact with the ends of a metal bridging-strip G, secured to the top wall of the casing, when released by the lifting of either of the torches E or E. The bridging-strip G is suitably insulated from the casing, so as to properly transmit electric current and form a part of the lampcircuit.

H Il designate a pair of terminals mounted in suitable insulating-supports and arranged to protrude from the casing at any suitable point, conveniently and, as herein shown, atthe front side near the lower end of the box. Said termin als have the form of jaws mounted in their insulating-supports adjacent to but not in contact with each other and are provided in their proximate sides with a series of teeth or projections h 7L. rlhe space between said jaws is just sufficient to admit the carbon end of the torch E loosely when the latter is inserted endwise therein.

The lamp and lighting circuits are as follows: A supply-conductor l, connected with any suit-able source of electrical supply-as, for instance, with an ordinaryincandescent lighting-circuit-is led in through the casing at any convenient point and connected with a terminal or binding-post l. From this terminal a conductor t' leads to the upper lamp C and is connected with the filament thereof at one side of the lamp. From the other side of the lamp conductors t" 112 lead to the levers F and F', respectively. A return-conductor i3 is connected with the bridging-strip G and leads thence to a second terminal or bindingpost l2 and thence out through the casing. From the supply-lead fi, at a point within the casing, a conductor j leads to one of the jawterminals Il, while from the other jaw Il' a conductor j' leads back to and through the lamp C and thence to the return-conductor or terminal 12.

The foregoing-described circuits obviously constitute two multiple-arc circuits, each ineluding a single lamp.

The operation of the device thus constructed and arranged is as follows: The cups having been supplied with suitable burning fluid, when it is desired to light a cigar the operator lifts either one of the torehes-as, for instance, that designated Efrom the cup, thus releasing the lever F and permitting it to drop into Contact with the end of the bridgingstrip G, thereby closing the circuit through the upper lamp C and illuminating the interior of the easing. The operator new insert-s the carbon end of the torch between the serrated terminals at the lower end of the box, thereby closing the circuit through the lower lamp C, and if said lamp be differently colored from the upper lamp obviously changing the appearance of the transparency. Upon attempting to withdraw the carbonpoint from between the terminals a spark will be generated by the breaking of the circuit therethrough which will ignite the saturated carbon and thus light the torch. The provision of the teeth on the proximate sides of the jaws not only insures the more certain sparking between the terminals, but also produces a flickering of the lamp controlled by said circuit, thereby more certainly attracting the attention of the opera-tor to the transparency thus displayed. lVhen the shank is withdrawn from between the terminals, the lower lamp obviously goes out, and upon replacing the torch in its holder the contact of the cap with the upper end of the contact-lever lifts the other end of the lever out of contact with the bridging-piece and thus breaks the circuit through the upper lamp. Obviously the operation is the same in case the other torch E be used, and it is to be noted that whichever one of the torches is lifted out it will serve to close the circuit through the upper lamp, and also that if both be lifted out together the circuit will still remain through the lamp until both have been returned to their respective holders.

'While I deem the foregoing construction an exceedingly practical and preferred one, yet it will be obvious that various modifications may be made both in the construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or without the exercise of more than ordinary mechanical skill. l do not therefore wish to be limited to the precise details of construction shown herein. The particular construction shown is, however, as hereinbeforc stated, believed to be especially desirable not only in the general invention, but in the matter of detail, and such construction has therefore been made the subject of specific claims.

l claim as my inventionl. A combined cigar-lighter and display device, comprising a easing provided in one side with a transparency, or equivalent, an incandescent lamp arranged behind said transparency connected with a normally open circuit, a pair of adjacent terminals and a lighting-torch adapted to close the circuit through the lamp when inserted between said terminals, substantially as set forth.

2. A combined cigar-lighter and display d evice comprising a casing provided in one side with a transparency or equivalent, an incandescent lamp arranged behind said transparency and connected with a normally open circuit, a torch, helder for said torch, and a contact device operated by said torch, adapted to close the circuit through the lamp when ICO IIO

the torch is removed from its holder, substantially as described.

3. A combined cigar-lighter and display device, comprising a casing provided in one side with a transparency or equivalent, two incandescent lamps arranged behind said transparency and connected With normally open circuits, a torch, a torch-holder and a pair of circuit-closing devices for each lamp, one of which pairs is operated to close the circuit through the lamp upon the removal of the torch from its holder and the other of Which pairs constitutes the lighti11g-terminals for i gniting the torch and operate to close the circuit through the other lamp when the torch is inserted between said terminals,substantially as described.

l. In a combined cigar-lighter and display device, the combination of a casing, a transparency arranged in one side of the casing, an incandescent lamp arranged Within each end thereof, a burning-fluid receptacle arranged in the upper part of the casing, open at its upper end, a torch adapted to rest Within said uuid-receptacle, a circuit-controlling lever arranged to be held in open-circuit position by the torch when the latter is Within the receptacle, a pair of lighting-terminals mounted in the casing and an electric circuit including the lamps, the circuit-controlling lever and the lighting-terminals, substantially as set forth.

5. In a combined cigar-lighter and display device, the combination of a casing, a transparency arranged in one side of the casing, an incandescent lamp arranged Within each end thereof, a pair of burning-fluid receptacles arranged in the upper part of the casing, each open at its upper end, a torch adapted to rest Within each one of said luid-reeepta cles, a circuit-controlling lever arranged adjacent to each fluid-receptacle and adapted to be held in open-circuit position by the torch when the latter is Within the receptacle, a bridging-strip With-Which said levers are each adapted to contact, a pair of lighting-terminals mounted in the casing and a multiplearc electric circuit including the lamps, the circuit-controlling levers, the bridging-strip and the lighting-terminals, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I aiiix my signature, in presence of two Witnesses, this 10th day of October, A. D. 1895.

TILLIAM FISHER.

YVltnesses ALBERT H. GRAVES, TAYLOR E. BROWN. 

